On My Own
by jacob-nessie4ever
Summary: Emily is thirteen and a survivor of the apocalypse. When she is saved from the woods by Daryl and brought to the farm, how will she fit into the group?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

The sun shone bright down in the forest. The leaves caused some shadows to flicker across bark, making the young girl turn quickly and see what was there. She was only thirteen and had been surviving by herself in the zombie apocalypse.

On her back was a purple backpack with the name _Emily_ sewn onto it. It contained the things she had looted and scavenged throughout her wandering. In her hand was a 9mm pistol, loaded and ready to shoot if need be.  
Her wavy blonde hair was hanging loosely on her shoulders in two pigtails. She might have seemed small and helpless, but she had survived for over a week on her own. Somehow, she had gotten herself lost in these dreaded woods.

There was a slight twig snap and Emily's head snapped towards the noise. She raised the pistol, aiming it at the area the sound had came from. She knew what the zombies looked like, horrible, awful, rotten, bloody creatures; but she was not afraid of them at all. She knew how to defend herself and that's exactly what she planned to do.

She took a step backwards, her eyes and gun still fixed where she had heard the snapping twig. She gasped as her ankle got caught on some thorns, drawing blood. She swept the area around her in one look. The blood pulsing from the small prick points would only attract more of the undead.

She saw nothing, so she knelt down to untangle her foot. She had to keep going. She _had_ to make it. It was a driving need that had fueled her ever since the outbreak. Emily ripped her foot from the bush, taking in a small yet sharp breath as the pain of the brambles struck her. A thorn still remained in one of her wounds so she pinched her two fingers together, setting the gun down to do this, and removed it.

She turned towards where the sound was and her eyes grew wide. Walking towards her was one of those dreaded creatures. It stumbled stupidly on it's own feet and fell, grabbing the girl's ankle. She screeched in terror as she saw the snapping jaws of the creature.

The blonde kicked it in it's rotted face and stood up. She grabbed her gun, but fell on a nearby branch. Her side snagged on a rock, pain slicing through her as the rock cut through her shirt and scraped her side. It was a decently deep gash, blood instantly pulsed out of it.

The creature crawled towards her, it's hunger growing. She reared back, her head smacking off of a tree trunk. This was not her lucky day. A bump rose on the back of her head, a trickle of blood flowing from the wound and staining her blonde hair auburn. Her gaze went fuzzy and she could hear more footsteps coming towards her.

She reached over for her pistol, grabbed it, and aimed the best that she could. She could hear a heavy Southern accent talking in slurred words as the bullet reached the zombie's brain. It went limp and she let her gun fall out of her hands. Her gaze dotted black and faded more. She felt weak from the loss of blood; she was only thirteen, it was a lot for her.

She felt herself being lifted up, thinking that this was this end for her. She had been bitten or she blacked out and she was dead. She had thought that for a good terrifying yet joyful second or two until she vaguely heard more slurred words. Then, she was moving. She looked up and before blacking out the last thing she saw was the icy blue eyes of Daryl Dixon.

* * *

"Is she awake yet?" A fatherly toned voice spoke.

Emily's head was throbbing, the pain in her side a close second. She wanted to open her eyes, to find out where she was, but her head protested. She felt that if she so much as squinted a peek at the world beyond the black of her eyelids that she would explode in pain.

"Nah," The same Southern accent replied to the fatherly one. "Not yet."

She heard a door creak shut and then the sound of a knife hitting wood. Emily now let her eyes flutter open, and she observed the world around. The ceiling was a beige color, lit up by candlelight. She went to sit up, but bolts of pain shot up from her side. Ignoring whoever was in the room at the moment, she lifted up the end of her shirt, which she now noticed was not the same one she had been wearing in the woods, and looked at the source. Stitches now lined the wound from the rock and it was surrounded in black and blue. It stung to the touch (she had inspected the stitches closer by lightly putting her fingertip to it) and it looked horrible to her.

She remembered that there was someone in the room now. She turned her head towards where she had heard the Southern accent. At the end of the bed was a chair, and in the chair was a man with brown hair and blue eyes. The eyes seemed to spark a memory, but she couldn't really remember so well. He was sharpening a stick to a point and next to the chair was a crossbow, a strap hanging off of the weapon. The shirt the Southern man was wearing had no sleeves, making his muscles show. He looked up from what he was doing, now noticing her.

"Where am I?" Were the first words to leave her mouth.

Emily mentally scolded herself for asking such an obvious first question, but remembered that it was a good one. She had no idea where she was, who this man was, and the world was ending. Correction, it had _ended._ She had thought she was all by herself here in this barren land, but it turns out there were at least two other people alive also.

"Georgia." The man answered simply.

Georgia? _Georgia?_ She had gotten _that _far? Emily's last known location was Alabama. She had made it across a whole state in about a week. Amazing.

"Georgia?" She questioned, making sure she had heard him correctly.

He nodded, a small smirk growing on his face.

"So...who are you?" She asked. Another stupidly obvious question.

Before he could answer, the door swung open. A woman with short gray hair popped her head in from the hallway outside.

"Daryl-" She stopped talking when she turned her head towards Emily. "Oh."

Carol looked at the girl, memories of her own Sophia flashing through her mind. "She-she's awake." A sudden motherly instinct swept through the woman and she went over to the side of Emily's bed. "Hello, dear." She said calmly. "I'm Carol and this is-"

"Daryl. She was just askin' 'bout my name." Daryl interrupted Carol.

"Does she remember anything?" Carol asked him.

Emily was silent. She felt a little uncomfortable around Carol. She wasn't really sure why, she just was. Maybe it was the sudden motherly role that intimidated her. She hadn't had a mother's love in quite a while.

"I don't know. But she did just get the shit beat of out of 'er not too long ago so I wouldn't keep my hopes up."

"You need anything, um..." Carol looked at Daryl for the girl's name. Emily remembered then that it was Daryl who had saved her after she blacked out alone in the woods. She knew now why it was his eyes that sparked memories; she had seen them when he was carrying her back here.

"Emily." Daryl answered, turning back to sharpening the wood into arrows.

Emily thought how he would know her name. Then it came to her- her backpack had her name on it. So many questions began to form in her brain now.

"You need anything, Emily?" Carol repeated, using her name.

She shook her head, her blonde waves bobbing slightly. Her pigtails were out and her hair was brushed. It had been a while since her hair was brushed also. But who had done it?

"Ok. If you need anything, just ask." Carol left and shut the door behind her, going to tell everyone else that the little girl Daryl had rescued was awake and okay. She figured Carl would be happy now that there was someone near his age to keep him busy.

Emily waited until she was sure that Carol was gone to speak again.

"So why have you stuck around? I don't mean anything to ya." She said.

"Well, for one, I figured you might remember my face if you ever woke up. Two- I'm kinda curious about how you could survive on your own when this group can barely survive together." He answered. When he had heard the scream, a slight glimmer of hope lit up in him that it might be Sophia- that he had found her. Half way to her, he remembered that Sophia was dead and that she would not be back ever. That just peaked his interest more to who the scream belonged to. When he reached Emily, she was shooting a rotting walker through the head. The girl had some guts.

"Is there more of you? I heard another voice- beside Carol and you - when I was just getting up. Plus, you said that there was a group."

Daryl nodded. "There's plen'y of us."

There was a knock at the door, causing both of their heads to look towards the noise. To Emily, it was just instinct from being on her own. Carol came in again, followed by several others.

Emily could see a Chinese man, a man with black curly hair, a boy that looked her age, a woman with long wavy black hair, and an old man with a Hawaiian shirt and a hat on. Others followed them, flooding the room.

"I brought everyone so you could see who else is here." Carol told the thirteen year old.

Daryl got off of the chair and grabbed his crossbow, setting the arrows in the holder on the bow. He put the chair into the corner to make room for everyone else.

"I'll leave so you all can meet 'er then." He said, walking towards the door.

Emily glared at him. She didn't want him to leave. Having Daryl leave would just make the whole thing ten- maybe one hundred -times more uncomfortable. She could swear she saw him smirk at her tauntingly before he left. Great. He understood her problem with people and decided to make it worse. Stupid redneck. She looked at everyone in the room, feeling more and more overwhelmed. She felt hatred towards Carol (as well as Daryl). She understood that her intentions were good, the woman just wanted her to get used to the other people there, but she didn't want to. She didn't really like meeting and talking to new people and the apocalypse situation didn't make it any better. That's why it was odd with Daryl. She was comfortable talking with him. She shoved the thoughts out of her mind and began to think of a way to make this any better and less awkward.

Nothing came to mind.

* * *

**How was it? Please review for me, this is my first Walking Dead story and I want to know if I did good on it.**

**Thanks! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

There were a few awkward silent moments between Emily and the others in the dim lighted room before someone spoke up. It was the man with the black curly hair she had seen when everyone was walking in.

"I'm Rick..." The man, Rick, started. The tone of his voice gave away that he was a little nervous and that made the situation even worse. "And this is my wife Lori," The woman with the black wavy hair stepped up next to Rick. Her eyes reminded Emily of a bunny's. They were wide and she seemed just as nervous, if not more, as her husband. "And my son Carl." The boy was friendlier and seemed less nervous than his parents. He waved a polite little wave and smiled at her.

She smiled back, chuckling at Rick and Lori.

The old man spoke next, walking up next to the side of her bed to shake her hand. "Dale Horvath. It's great to see a new face around here." Emily noticed that his voice was the fatherly one she had heard before. She shook his hand back, feeling a little more comfortable around Dale now. He reminded her of her grandfather who died before this mess. Only some were that lucky.

A girl with short brown hair was looking at the Chinese man with her eyebrows raised. She nodded her head towards Emily and the man took a double-take at her before smiling quickly.

"I'm Glenn." He told her.

Emily smiled and laughed although she didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was being instructed to do by a girl or maybe it was the fact that the situation seemed better now. It didn't matter. Laughing felt good when there wasn't really much to laugh about.

"She's learning from Daryl already..." Dale muttered, just loud enough for Emily to hear.

* * *

After everyone had introduced themselves, Emily had the idea to get up and walk. Her legs ached from lying in that bed for God-knows-how-long and she had more questions to ask Daryl. He seemed to know more about her than the others did and he was the one who rescued her. Plus, she just wanted to talk. She hadn't spoken to any of the others, even when they were introducing themselves.

She tore back the sheets from her body, folding them to the end of the bed, and put her feet on the wooden floor. She stood up and immediately regretted it. Her side seemed to have sandpaper in it, sending wave after wave of pain the whole time she stood. She bit her lip, trying to ignore it, and took a step. Emily winced and took another step. The pain seemed to get worse but she wanted out of the room. She wanted to see what was beyond her room (her curiosity was rising at every moment) and the questions she had were buzzing around her head like bees, stinging her every minute she didn't have an answer to them.

She took more steps, limping the whole time, and opened the door. She stepped outside and into the hall. She followed down the passageway and made her way to the stairs.

Emily looked down. They seemed to be never-ending. She sucked up whatever bravery she had in her and let her bramble-pricked foot touch the first stair. The wound in her side stretched a little and she bit her tongue so hard that it drew blood. She kept going like this until she reached the bottom, gasping for breath. She had no idea that it was going to be that hard to walk down a set of stairs. Stupid apocalypse...without it, she would never be in this situation. She would be back in Alabama with her family, eating dinner around the table and laughing so hard she choked on her food. A tear welled up in her eye but she blinked it away, not wanting to cry. She was strong. She was not a crier. No matter what happened, she had to stay strong and alive.

She looked around, making sure no one was there. They would send her back to the bed for sure. But Daryl wouldn't care- at least she didn't think he'd care. She walked towards the screen door, opened it, and stepped out onto the porch. The sun hit her skin and filled her with warmth. It felt nice after all she'd been through. She looked around once more, spotting Daryl this time. He was walking towards the forest line with his crossbow in his hands. If she wanted to talk to him, she'd have to get there fast. He was getting closer every second and she didn't really want to go in the woods to search for him, let alone in the woods at all.

She started to run, not letting the pain or her limp slow her down. She was about a foot or so behind him when she stopped, breathing heavily. Daryl turned around, curious about the sound.

Emily was clutching her side, a little blood coming out of it because of the running. The stitches and gash had probably stretched, but neither of them could tell.

"Shit lil' girl. Look at what you've done to yourself." He said, a little bit of sympathy in his voice as he saw her in the condition she was in.

"I...was...looking...for you." She panted out between breaths.

"What're you lookin' for me for?"

"I wanted to ask you some questions. Mostly about how you all got here to this farm. I haven't seen a person- at least, not one that was alive -in a while. It'd be nice to hear something besides my own voice like out there." She lifted a weak hand towards the woods, pointing.

"Well maybe when you can actually walk." He set down his crossbow where he could see it and started to walk towards her.

"_Ohhhhh_ no," She protested. "Don't think that you're just gonna pick me up and take me back into that room. I don't want to lay around, I want to do something."

"I don't think," He said, picking her up in his arms. Her head rested against his chest and her feet hung off of his other arm. "I know."

"You're such a jerk." She muttered, looking up at him.

Daryl chuckled, walking towards the house.

"If you think that now, just wait till you get to know me."

Emily would have protested more but she didn't want to end up walking back to the house. Being carried was the easy way out and that's exactly what she wanted at the moment.

They made it back to the room she was in before, the door left open. Inside, Carol was looking out the window that Emily had just now noticed was there, hidden behind curtains she could of sworn weren't there before.

"Oh God," She said, relieved to see that Emily was okay. "I got scared, I thought something happened."

Daryl set her down in the bed, careful not to hurt her wounds. Carol covered the girl up sheets again, making sure that she was comfortable. Daryl began to leave the room when Emily's voice stopped him.

"You're not sticking around?" She asked, her voice soft from exhaustion.

"Just because I saved your life doesn't mean I gotta take care of ya."

He shut the door behind him, leaving her alone with Carol.

"You'll get used to it." Carol reassured her. "He's like that a lot."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

A few days had passed and Emily's stitches were feeling better. The only reason Daryl had even asked about her, she hoped he'd asked because he never came in and asked her to her face, was probably to make sure that she wasn't off trying to find him again. Carol had brought her up some food every day and she ate it, relishing the taste of real food. In the forest, she had survived only on small rations of two Twinkies and sips from a single bottle of water that she had taken from her house when she fled.

That day, though, she pulled back the sheets again, ready to walk. Her side didn't hurt as much now, the wound was closing up fairly well, Herschel had said he was going to take the stitches out soon, and the bruise around it was yellowing. She stood up, stretching as she did so. The wound was only slightly sore and it felt nice to be on her feet once more. She took a few steps to test herself and once she was assured that she could walk down the staircase, she did so. Her side hurt a little more than when she had stood up but it wasn't near as much pain as the last time she had tried to get down the stairs.

At the bottom of the steps, she ran into Dale.

She politely waved and smiled at him and continued on. She was going to find Daryl now and ask the questions she had wanted to three days ago.

Once more, she opened the screen door and walked outside. The fresh Georgia air hit her face like a blessing and she was even more happy to be outside. She looked around for Daryl, expecting to see him near the woods like last time, but didn't see him. She hopped off the porch and walked into the open. She hadn't properly seen the whole property but she was sure that she could find her way around by herself.

She turned a corner and saw him returning from the woods with a squirrel or two (she couldn't really make out how many) in his hands and his crossbow strapped over his shoulder. She smiled and ran towards him, not having to stop to breath any longer.

"Hi!" She said happily once she reached him. "So...how's squirrel season going?"

She figured she'd tell a joke. Daryl looked grumpy (not that he didn't every single time she had seen him) and she felt that he could use some cheering up. She might have been thirteen but she was as innocent and immature as an eight year old.

He looked at her, just a glance, and said nothing back. She frowned and walked along with him back to the farm.

"Can I carry one?" Emily questioned. There were two squirrels, like she had thought, one in each hand. "I'm not afraid of a little blood."

Daryl once again said nothing back.

"Why do you have to be such a jerk? Why can't you just answer me?" She questioned, becoming impatient.

While Emily was walking with him, at the camp people were talking about her.

"With what that girl has gone through, I'm surprised that she took it so well." Dale spoke, poking at the fire.

"And when we think she needs help or someone to care for her, she goes off to him." Carol said. She wasn't angry at the child, she would never be truly angry at a child, but she didn't see why Emily would run off to Daryl of all people and not speak to anyone else.

"Maybe it's a memory thing, you know? Maybe he reminds her of someone she used to know before all this."

"Maybe."

The two of them were almost to the camp now and Daryl still hadn't spoken a word to her.

"C'mon! Just one word and I'll be happy!"

Carol and Dale could hear her pleading from where they were. Carol could only wish that Daryl would speak to the girl, it was obvious that she was attached to him somehow.

"_Please_!" She begged.

Daryl walked on, ignoring Emily completely. Emily stopped walking with him and just watched him walk off. She sighed in defeat and anger and went towards where Carol and Dale were. She could hear them speaking, they didn't see her yet, and she heard Dale mention the date. The numbers and month stung her like a slap to the face and she stopped dead in her tracks. Today was her big brother's birthday. She turned quickly, searching for a place to go by herself as tears flooded her eyes. She ran to the side of the house and put her head in her hands. Tears flooded past the eyelid barriers and spilled down her cheeks. She didn't want to cry but she felt abandoned. Daryl, the only person she had the courage to talk to, wouldn't speak to her and she didn't have a big brother (let alone any family) to say happy birthday to. She started sobbing, hoping that it wouldn't be heard.

But Carol heard Emily's sobs. Daryl walked by and the gray haired woman followed after him.

"Daryl!" She said, a little bit of anger in her voice.

"What?" He replied, still walking on.

"Do you think you could just talk to the poor girl?"

"I don't have to take responsibility for 'er. She ain't mine."

"I'm not asking you to take responsibility for her. She has nobody, she won't talk to anyone but you, and she's over there crying. Do you think you could just say something to her?"

"There's nothin' to say."

"Find something. She's been through a lot and none of us can get through to her. Please?"

"Fine." He gave up. There was no arguing with Carol. She'd find a way to get him to talk to Emily. Might as well get it over with if he was going to have to do it anyway.

He set the squirrels down by the fire and started to walk to where Carol had shown him the girl would be. When he got there, Emily had her head in her hands and was crying. The sobs tortured him in a way because he knew deep down that he cared for her and he felt bad that he had caused her to do that.

"You okay?" He asked, finding something to say.

"Not that you'd care." Emily quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks and sniffled, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry..." He trailed off. He took the crossbow off of his shoulder and sat down next to her.

"No, don't be. It's not necessarily your fault. Today is...," She stopped and sniffled again. "Today's my brother's birthday."

"If it makes you feel any better, I lost a brother too. Name's Merle." Truth was, he wasn't entirely sure what had happened to Merle, but it felt like he had lost him to the undead out there.

"Yeah, well, I bet that you're parents died before this and you've had just Merle for a while. I had to watch my parents get eaten alive and then a day later I had to watch the same thing happen to my brother. It's worse for me."

Daryl couldn't help but feel sorry for the kid more than he did before. She had watched her family die then had to survive by herself in the woods. Holy shit, she had been through a lot...a lot more than anyone else knew. Who did she trust enough to tell this to? Him. The one who didn't really care for many people (only a certain few) and the one who secluded himself from the group. She was truly alone, truly sad, and she truly trusted him. So couldn't he be nicer to her?

"It probably _is_ worse for ya. You're young, and this shouldn't of happened to anyone, but it's worse for ya. But look at yourself. You've made it this far, survived this long on your own, so I think you'll survive through this." He finally answered her.

The look on her face seemed to brighten. No one, not her mother, not her brother, not even her father, had shown this much confidence in her. But here was this man who she hadn't met until a few days ago and he was showing more confidence in her than anyone she'd met before this Hell-on-Earth. She leaned over and hugged him. Daryl had no idea what to do at first, but after a moment or so, he hugged her back.

"Thanks." She said, her arms still wrapped around him in an embrace.

"Be lucky," He chuckled. "Not many people get ta' even touch me without gettin' an arrow through their head." He waited another second until adding, "C'mon. Let's get back to camp."

As Daryl stood up and slung his crossbow over his shoulder once more, he tried to think of reasons not to take even the slightest responsibility for her. He couldn't find an answer. Emily stood up after him, brushing dirt off her pants. She wiped her cheeks on more time to make sure nothing remained on them and walked with him back to camp.

"Well I'll be damned." Dale said as he looked at the two of them walking back. Carol looked up to see what he was talking about. "Daryl Dixon's smiling."

It was true. He was smiling at Emily, who had playfully shoved him to the side. He did the same thing back and she laughed.

"Well that's something you don't see ever." Carol said, smiling to herself.

"Nope. And I don't think we'll ever see it again." Dale finished as he saw Daryl's face turn serious as they got closer to camp.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, story alerts/favorites, and the author alert/favorites! It means a TON to me so thanks again :)**

**And next chapter will start to get into the plot of the show, I just wanted to establish a brother/sister thing between Daryl and Emily first. **

**Well, review and keep reading! Thanks( yet again :P)! **

**-Nat:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

The rest of the day had gone pretty well. Emily had asked around camp for odd jobs to do so that she felt that she had a place. Dale had asked her to get firewood (which she did), Carol asked for help with the fire itself (which she also did), and she had done more little things as the day went on. She had even spoken up a little bit when she asked for things to do.

As night came creeping, the fire kept going strong. She wasn't quite tired yet and at this point, the only people she could see that were awake were the people on watch. She stared at the flame as it danced and her eyes grew droopy. As they began to flutter shut, her body leaned lazily towards it. There was a tap on her shoulder and she looked behind her. She felt more awake for some reason.

"Don't go fallin' asleep in front of a fire." Daryl spoke. "You'll regret it."

"Thanks." She smiled and poked the fire, sending sparks and some ash floating into the warm Georgia air.

"So," He said, sitting next to her. "Mind tellin' me how you survived out there?"

he was still curious about how she had made her way from Alabama all the way across the state, defended herself against walkers, slept at night (let alone at all), and kept her heart beating. It was dangerous out there; he knew from experience. Seeing that she was awake now with nothing to do, he figured he'd ask her.

"Not at all. I need something to do." She set the poking stick down on the ground and tried to find a place to start.

* * *

_*Flashback* _

_The sun was setting, making the Alabama sky turn a gorgeous yellow-orange. It was something Emily remembered all too well. A few birds flew across the sky, making the twilight seem almost normal...if it weren't for the moans and groans of the dead it would have been one of the most beautiful things in Emily's life. _

_She twirled one of her pigtails, looking out the window of her small, quaint house. Her brother, Aaron, was sitting behind her, a shotgun in his lap. He was prepared for anything to come, although nothing could be seen from where they were looking. _

_"You alright, baby sis?" He asked her. She seemed uneasy to him. But, then again, what thirteen year old wouldn't be in the apocalypse? He was only two years older than her and was overprotective. No boy would even talk to her or ask her out due to the fear of Aaron. He towered over most people (he was unusually tall for his age) and his light brown hair and biceps from football made him intimidating. _

_"I'm fine." She answered._

_"Do ya'll want any dinner?" Their mother asked. Through all of this, she still kept some humanity in her by cooking dinner and acting like nothing was going on outside. She seemed unfazed even when the neighbor's screams of pain could be heard. The people around them were being eaten alive and yet she still acted like nothing was happening, that everything was normal, that everything would turn out fine. _

_Emily wasn't like her mother, nor was her brother. But it was odd for Emily. She barely had a Southern accent (unlike the rest of her family) so she didn't fit in much anywhere. _

_"I'm good. Em? Aaron?" Their father answered first._

_"No thanks." The siblings replied._

_"Oh well then." Their mother, Mary, began to put the dinner into jars and containers to store away. Hopefully they would eat them before it went moldy. _

_Emily moved away from the window, her heart saddening. She missed normal life where she didn't hear the moans that the wind carried. Aaron stood up also, being sort of a bodyguard to his younger sister. The whole family sat down at the kitchen table._

_"All right." Father started. "Let's pray for a safe night and even safer tomorrow."_

* * *

"But it didn't work." Emily spoke gravely, her eyes looking from Daryl to the fire and so forth. "We were ambushed not much later by a horde of walkers."

* * *

_"Emily!" Aaron shouted, barging into her bedroom. "Wake up! Grab your bag! We have to get out of here! Ambush!" Aaron left the room and through groggy ears, Emily heard gunshots from downstairs and outside. _

_She grabbed her purple backpack (she had packed it a while ago in case something like this ever happened) and ran out the bedroom door fully dressed. The family had been sleeping in normal clothes and shoes in case they needed a quick escape. Thank God they had or Emily might not have made it out that night._

_She rushed down the stairs and out the front door, looking for Mother and Father and Aaron. _

_"AARON?" She screamed, searching frantically. _

_She heard a growl and spun around. An ugly, smelly corpse stood behind her. It's mouth had been chewed off of its face, leaving the jaw bone and tongue hanging out. One of its eyes were falling out of the socket and was hanging by a thin muscle on its cheek. It outstretched it hands and opened its broken jaw but was blown away by a bullet from Aaron's shotgun. _

_"Let's get outta here!" He said, running up to her and grabbing her arm. _

_On their way to the woods, Emily's foot hit something. A dead body; one that was recognized by her eyes. _

_"DADDY!" She screamed, feeling a sudden loss. She reached down to touch him but Aaron yanked her away. She got out of his grip and grabbed the 9mm from the limp hand and ran off._

* * *

"Later, from my view of the woods, I saw Mother's neck be bitten off by one of those things. Aaron and I made it into the woods that night and slept there. He kept watch all night just to keep us both safe. In the morning, we made our way in a straight line to wherever. He gave me his hatchet to go along with my gun, which only had about six or seven left out of the ten it held. At night, while I was asleep, we were attacked once again."

* * *

_A zombie bit into Aaron's arm, making him scream in pain. Emily watched in horror as the thing munched away on her brother. More approached from behind it so she fled farther into the darkness. _

_"EMILY! I'm sor-"_

* * *

"I'll never forget that." She poked the fire, he face emotionless. Daryl listened closely to her, absorbing all of what she was telling him. Her brother seemed a lot like him. Maybe that's why she was so attached to him? "Aaron's last words, his last goddamn plea, was cut off by him choking on his own blood."

Daryl looked at her. He never heard her swear, although he had known her very long, but the last time he saw someone that young cuss was when he and Merle were kids. Maybe after that, he couldn't really remember. All of her talk about her brother made him think more and more of Merle every second. Was he suffering the same fate as Emily's brother? Was Merle going to die a slow, painful death?

"So..." He spoke, trying to tear his mind from thoughts of Merle getting chewed on by a walker. "Ya fled into the woods. What did ya eat?"

"Twinkies." She giggled a little bit. "There were two of them in my pack, along with a bottle of water. I rationed but still expected to die in the forest."

"I was lost in the woods once. But I wasn't lucky enough to have Twinkies. Ate berries for nine days." He thought of mentioning the poison oak but decided not to. He'd save that for another time.

Emily was going to reply but just yawned. She was tired now, probably from watching the fire dance and telling her story.

"I should probably get to bed." She stood up, setting the poker down. She pulled her hair over one shoulder. Her neck was getting hot.

As she walked three steps, she realized that she didn't have anywhere to sleep. She spun around and sat back down by the fire, thinking of nowhere else to go.

Daryl looked at her, an eyebrow raised. He thought she was tired?

"Nowhere to go." Emily said simply.

The man thought. He knew of nowhere she could really go. She couldn't just sleep by the fire, she'd roll into it and burn herself. She couldn't sleep in the open either. There were mosquitoes buzzing around. He sighed.

"Need somewhere to go or are you gonna be all independent and find somewhere y'rself?" He asked.

"Please?" She begged, assuming that he was implying that she could stay in his tent.

"C'mon. Just this once, though. Ya have to find somewhere tomorrow." He got up and walked to his tent, Emily closely following.

He reached the tent, it was farther away from the group then the other ones, and unzipped the entrance.

"I ain't got any extra pillows or anything." He said, stepping inside after her.

"I'll be fine." She told him, laying down already and yawning once more. "I camped out like this in Alabama once."

There was silence between the two as Daryl lay down for sleep also. His crossbow lay not far from him, only an arm's length away.

"Thanks." She said softly through the dark.

"Welcome." He returned, sounding tired.

The two of them fell asleep not long after that final word.

* * *

The next morning Daryl awoke before her. He stretched slightly and grabbed his crossbow. He unzipped the entrance to the tent and stepped out into the daylight. Carol was the first to walk up to him.

"Have you seen Emily? Did something happen?" She said worriedly. She was afraid of losing yet another child form the group.

"She's fine. She slept in my tent last night, she didn't have no where to go." He assured her.

Carol smiled a little, making a look of pure confusion stretch across Daryl's face.

"You see Sophia in her, don't you?" She asked.

The question took Daryl off guard. The name alone sent his mind somewhere else. He was silent for a second before speaking again.

"Huh?"

"Emily. You see Sophia in her, don't you? That's why you're taking care of her, right?"

He didn't answer her. Truth was, Carol was right. When he found Emily, he felt as if he didn't completely fail Carol and the others when he didn't find Sophia. He wanted to care for her because he didn't want her to become a walker like the other little girl who was lost in the woods. He felt like the protector of the group. No matter who he hated in it, he felt like he needed to make sure that they were all okay and alive. Taking care of Emily was like making up for his own failure- a failure that he hated thinking of.

"You do, Daryl. Don't you? You're taking care of her because you feel bad, aren't you?" The last thing Carol wanted was for him to feel guilty about her little girl.

He opened his mouth to speak but Carol hushed him. Emily was awake and was coming out of the tent. She stretched her back and rolled her neck. It was stiff from the hard ground but she'd deal with it. She'd felt worse when she was lost in the woods. She walked over to Carol and Daryl.

"Do you have anything for me to do? Anything that needs done around here?" She asked Carol. She wanted to make herself useful so that she wasn't a burden.

"Well, you could-" She was stopped by the sound of Maggie asking something frantically.

Daryl, not necessarily caring about what Maggie had to say, was making his way to the woods.

"Have you seen Hershel?" She asked, a look of slight fear in her eyes.

Emily listened to her, wondering what was wrong.

"No, why?" Carol replied.

"It's Beth. She was doing the dishes inside and she just collapsed. We think she might be in shock but we can't know for sure."

"Ask Rick, maybe?"

"I'll try."

Maggie was off to find Rick.

Emily watched her as she walked away and saw the boy, Carl if she remembered him correctly, sitting on the steps of the house. He looked bored.

"That's Carl right?" She questioned.

Carol nodded.

"I'll be back," Emily said, walking towards Carl.

The young boy lifted his head, his blue-gray eyes meeting her hazel eyes.

"Hi." She said, sitting next to him.

"Hey." He smiled.

"So...what do ya do around here? Anything?"

"Not much really. Kinda boring."

"Ugh. I know the feeling of boredom." She sighed, remembering the woods. She had nothing to do out there but protect herself and hope not to get eaten in her sleep. "Back in Alabama, when my family and I got bored, we'd go outside and catch minnows. Sometimes we'd eat them but sometimes we'd use them as bait for other, bigger fish and eat them."

"You miss Alabama?"

"Somewhat. I hadn't really put much thought to sweet home Alabama until now."

"What's it like there? Now, I mean. More walkers? Less?"

"I don't know for sure. But my guess would be...probably around the same. Although, I didn't see many out in the woods. Only about three, not including the one that tried to eat me when Daryl found me."

A door to a vehicle shut and there was some dust thrown into the air as it left the driveway.

"I think that was my dad." Carl stood up, looking out after the vehicle to see if he could make out who left.

"Rick?" Emily asked, hopefully getting the name right.

Carl nodded and Lori walked over.

"They're just going to look for Hershel, Glenn and him. They think he's at the bar, drinking again." She explained.

"Oh." Carl sat back down next to Emily.

"So, I see you two are getting along well." Lori spoke. Something about her seemed off to Emily. It was like she didn't fully care about what happened to Carl. Something else was on her mind, distracting her from her own son.

He nodded, blushing slightly. Emily tried her best not to laugh at him.

"We're just friends. I barely know her." He said, his voice cracking slightly.

"He just looked bored. I figured I'd tell him about Alabama." Emily explained next.

Lori nodded. "Well, keep safe alright?"

"We will." Both children said at the same time. Lori walked off, going wherever.

"So...what do you wanna do now?" Carl asked.

"Doesn't matter. Anything's fine with me."

* * *

**Ok, for starters, the details are not going to be exact. It's been a while since I saw the series so deal with me please. And it's moving a little slow, but it'll pick up eventually. **

**Thanks to the more people who added me to their favorites and alerts! And thanks to the reviewers! **

**-Nat**

**(P.S. I apologize for any errors. I didn't edit this chapter, I just wanted to get it posted so I could start on my next chapter.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

* * *

For the next hour or so, Emily and Carl had played around in the yard, throwing little pebbles and whatever else they could find at each other. She was keeping Carl entertained. The young boy was happy that after losing Sophia there was another kid around so he wasn't entirely alone. Emily sometimes moved slow when she dodged the things flying at her. Hershel wasn't there to take her stitches out so they were still in her side. It was better, probably healed for all she knew about medicines and wounds, but it still hurt when she stretched it. She felt better around people now (except for a certain few like Shane) and was happy. She felt like she belonged there with them and for a moment was glad that the apocalypse had happened. Carl was the little brother she never had but always wanted. Daryl was like Aaron, if not better. But the feeling soon passed when she remembered her own family, the people who she truly belonged with. She regretted even being glad for such a horrible thing.

When they were done throwing things at each other, night had fallen. Daryl had been back from the woods for a while now but Emily took no notice.

They were all sitting down for dinner. Emily sat in between Daryl and Carl, while the others sat where they felt like it. Maggie remained inside with Beth, worried about what was wrong with her. Every second Hershel wasn't there Maggie seemed to worry. It didn't help, either, that Glenn was not there to comfort her. Carl looked around for his mother. Where was she? Emily glanced around also. Nothing. Lori was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's my mom?" Carl muttered to her, his voice cracking slightly.

"I don't know. Did you see her leave earlier?" She replied.

He shook his head, still searching.

" I'm pretty sure she's okay, though." She reassured him.

"Who's okay?" Daryl questioned, hearing her.

"Lori. Have you seen her?"

Carl listened for Daryl to answer Emily.

"Dumb bitch," He said. "Must'a went out to look for 'em."

"Who went where?" It was Carol's turn to ask questions. She was on the other side of Daryl.

"Lori. She asked me earlier to go find Hershel and Glenn and Rick but I didn't go. She must'a went by herself." His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I'm going to look for her." Shane said darkly as he rose up from his seat. He made his way to one of the vehicles and got inside without saying another word.

"She's okay, Carl. I'm sure your mom can defend herself if she had to." Emily told her new friend. He was worried and she could tell. He seemed more tense and quiet. Emily couldn't help but wonder what would happen if both of his parents were lost out there but tried to shake the thought from her mind. She had lost both of her parents and didn't want Carl to feel the same pain she did.

"Thanks." He replied, still glum and playing with his food.

Daryl ignored the situation. He didn't care at the moment. He felt the failure of Sophia rise into his thoughts when Lori had asked him to look for them. He didn't want them to end up like that little girl if he didn't find them in time. He'd blame himself all over again for something that was entirely his fault, so he denied it. He had no idea what he would do if he had more guilt on his shoulders.

* * *

It wasn't much longer, they were only finishing up dinner, when Shane returned with Lori. Lori went up to the fire to find her husband and little boy; to tell them that she was fine. But she didn't see Rick anywhere. Shane had lied. He had told her that Rick had gone back to the farm and wanted her back.

"See, told you that she's fine." Emily told Carl as Lori approached. Carl got up to see his mother but was stopped by Shane and Lori arguing.

"You lied to me!" She screeched, anger filling her voice.

"I was only trying to get you back here." Shane explained to her, his voice somewhat calm.

"Why? We could have maybe found Rick by now. Then he, Glenn, and Hershel would all be back here."

"I was only protecting the baby!" He snapped, fed up with arguing already. He had a short temper sometimes; Emily had taken note of that.

Carl looked in surprise at his mother and Shane. Baby? His mother was pregnant? Everyone seemed to hear that statement and were in total wonder. How could someone get themselves pregnant at a time like this? Did Lori even think about the consequences for both her _and_ her unborn child? Probably neither because she had gone out and done it anyway. Another thing ran through their minds. Who's was it? There hadn't been much talk about it (none that they really knew of anyway), and Lori's stomach wasn't swollen yet, so how did Shane know about the pregnancy unless...

No. It couldn't be. Lori was married to Rick; it just wasn't right.

Lori turned around and looked her boy in the eye.

"Carl...I-" She started to say.

But Carl didn't want to hear anything at the moment. He was too stunned by it all. He turned away, a look of disgust on his face, and ran in the other direction. How could his mother do this? How could she? He was a little happy about getting a sibling, being a big brother and all, but this wasn't the right world to bring a new baby in to.

Lori went to go to him, to comfort her son, but though better of it. He would find his own way to get over it. Now she had to worry about Rick and Shane. It seemed as if whatever peace was left between the group was falling apart. Maybe there was never peace in the first place. She didn't really know anymore. No one seemed to know anymore.

* * *

That night, Emily still didn't have anywhere to sleep so she stayed in Daryl's tent. She hadn't really been able to sleep. Her mind was on Carl. Was he okay? How was he handling this? Daryl's snoring seemed to keep her awake also, but only somewhat. The questions were worse. Questions always bothered her; before this and even now they did. She had finally fallen asleep, only to wake up early to the sound of car doors shutting.

She sat up, combing her fingers through her blonde waves. She got off the floor of the empty tent and walked out. Everyone seemed to be getting ready for something.

She jogged up to Daryl.

"What's going on?" She asked him.

He looked at her and his eyes went wide for a second. Under her eyes were a deep blue-black color. To him, she looked like one of the walkers out there. He was going to ask her if she was okay but decided not to. At least he had that little bit of sense not to offend her.

"We're goin' to find 'em out in town." He replied, ignoring her eyes the best he could.

"They're not back yet?"

He shook his head, holding his tongue back from making a sarcastic comment.

Dale and Andrea were talking quietly to each other. Emily studied their lips, trying to make out the unheard words, but got nothing. A car pulled in, Rick and Glenn sitting in front. Hershel was in the back of it. Something could be seen in the trunk.

"They're back now." She muttered to herself, hoping that nobody had heard her.

The car slowed to a stop. The three of them got out.

Rick walked up to a point where he was in front of everyone. He had a serious look on his face. It seemed as if something was bothering him, taunting him.

"We found someone back there. He was with a group, but they left him to die." He spoke, his voice monotone. "We didn't want to leave him back there; there were walkers and we didn't want him to be eaten because of us."

"Are you stupid?" Shane questioned, walking close to Rick. He was practically growling the words.

"Hershel's just going to fix him up and we're going to drop him off somewhere. We don't need another mouth to feed, I understand that." Rick came to a conclusion about Shane.

"He'll find his group and tell them about us! About the farm! Where we're at, what we're doing, _how_ we're doing. He'll know our weaknesses. That's just setting us up to get destroyed! This will start a war!"

"This is my farm." Hershel said as Rick went to open his mouth to defend against Shane. "While I'm still here, you'll need to keep your mouth shut and let me make the decisions."

Emily could see Maggie pull Glenn over to the side. They started talking but Emily was more curious about the person in the trunk rather than what they were saying. Rick opened the trunk door and he and Hershel carried out a body. It was blindfolded and a strip of cloth, possibly from the torn shirt that was on the man, was wrapped around part of his calf.

No one stepped up to help the two of them. Why? Emily couldn't tell. But the two men brought the body into the house, the door shutting behind them.

"Are they always like this?" Emily asked Daryl. "Fighting all the time?"

She hadn't seen much quarrel in the group until yesterday and just now. She began to understand what Daryl meant when she was still back in that room, fresh from the forest. He had asked her how she had survived out there by herself when the group couldn't survive together.

"Sometimes, I guess. It's got worse." He replied.

If the fighting got any worse, Emily thought, it could go extreme. People could begin to kill others in the group. Then everything would fall apart. They'd be so unstable, they'd be open to walkers and human attacks alike.

She hoped that it wouldn't ever go that far.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Her breath was quick and shallow. There was a stinging pain in her neck. She wanted to move but her body wouldn't let her; instead, it kept her pinned the ground. Her eyes flickered around, searching for something; searching for someone. Black and blue dots flew across her vision and she started to panic. Her insides seemed to be on fire. It was a crushing, horrible, burning pain.

Emily's eyelids fluttered shut but she snapped them open, not quite ready to fade yet. There was a snapping sound and a walker fell close by. Whoever shot it walked up to the zombie's head and retrieved something. An arrow. It was Daryl. He looked over to his left, where she was, to see what was laying there making the panting sounds. His eyes went wide and he quickly went up to her. He got down next to her.

"Emily?" He questioned, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

Emily gave all her will to nod her head in reply.

"What happened?" He asked, placing a hand on the bite on her neck to try and stop the bleeding.

"Shit." He cursed, trying to find something to use as a makeshift bandage.

"It's no...use." She choked out. She regretted speaking; she was losing too much oxygen to talk.

"Don't say that!" He shouted angrily, still searching. He began to tear part of his shirt.

She moved a limp hand to his. He flinched slightly at her touch. Her hand was cold, almost corpse like.

"Don't," She sighed. She took in a big breath of air and her lungs burned.

He looked at her, sorrow and anger mixed into his eyes.

"Don't...let me...become one..." Emily took a sharp breath through her now clenched teeth. The bite was stinging more; in less than a minute she would be dead- then a walker. "Of them."

Daryl felt failure once more. He had let someone else, someone who trusted him completely and had almost become sort of a little sister to him, die. She was bit, there was no helping her now. He knew that he couldn't do anything now but he didn't seem to process it. It was almost too much for him to handle.

The look in her eyes said more than words. She was begging him to kill her before she turned. She didn't want to be one of them. Daryl knew what he had to do but he didn't know if he could bring himself to do it.

"Please..." Her voice was soft and almost not heard.

He looked her in the eyes. His gaze was unchanging and serious. Grabbing his crossbow, he stood up. An arrow was already loaded into it. He aimed for her forehead, the look on his face still the same.

"Sorry, Em."

* * *

Her eyes snapped open. Emily's body was covered in sweat. She sat up quickly and put her hand to her neck. There was no bite mark. It was all just a bad dream. Just a bad dream, that's all, just a nightmare.

She could remember the terror in her nightmare. Walkers had attacked and she was fighting. She was grabbed from behind and one of them bit into her neck. Then-

She stopped. Emily didn't want to remember the dream.

When Hershel had taken care of Beth, he had taken out her stitches. Emily had gotten tired afterwords, so she had gone off to the tent and taken a nap. She unzipped the opening and walked out, zipping it back up behind her. Emily walked towards the farmhouse, her dream haunting her with every step. The sun beat down on her, adding to the lines of sweat already dripping down her neck. She ran her hand against her hair line, wiping away some of the sweat.

As she reached camp, the front door burst open nearby. Andrea, who was sitting on the steps, looked behind her to see who was there. Lori stepped out, her black hair bouncing on her shoulders.

"She didn't cut herself too deep." She sighed, leaning against a pole.

"She wants to live then." Andrea smiled.

Emily couldn't help but wonder who 'she' was. Maggie? No, Maggie wasn't suicidal. Carol? She looked around and spotted the gray haired woman tending to the fire. As she thought further into this, Emily's thoughts were interrupted by Daryl's voice behind her.

"What the hell happened now?" He asked.

Emily turned around and saw the three fresh squirrels and a rabbit strung on a line around one of his belt loops. His crossbow was slung around his shoulder like always.

"I don't know," She answered. "Can I help you with those? Get the meat or something?"

"These?" He motioned towards the dead animals. "Ya know how?"

"Kinda. My dad taught me something on this one hunting trip back in Alabama."

After a moment, he nodded. He was curious about what the girl knew about survival and hunting. "Jus' don't mess 'em up or nothin'. If ya do, it goes against all of us. We can't afford that."

She smiled and followed him to a spot near the fire. He lay the three animals out on the ground and pulled out a knife from his pocket. He thought he had another but he couldn't find it. Setting his crossbow on the ground near him, he picked up one of the squirrels. He sliced the knife down the animal's stomach. Daryl looked over to Emily to see if she winced or closed her eyes at the sight. Her eyes were wide open, staring curiously at what he was doing.

"Gotta cut around the bones. Get as much as ya can out of it." He dug the knife around and pulled out chunks of raw meat. He looked over once more. She hadn't even blinked.

"I knew that. That's kind of common sense, ain't it?" She asked.

"Nah. Some jackasses eat it like a chicken leg."

"But it's okay to eat it like that, though."

"Yeah, but do it this way if you wanna cook it."

* * *

After a while she had taken care of the other squirrel and the rabbit, much to Daryl's surprise.

"Don't act surprised. I might be thirteen but I still survived the apocalypse by myself. I can also take meat out of a squirrel. Dear Lord, I must be Superman." She said sarcastically. "Haven't you ever met a tomboy before?"

"Yeah. Plen'y of 'em in Georgia. But all they ever do is get a 'lil bit of dirt on their hands and think they're doin' a man's job." He pointed behind him to the top of the RV where Andrea was sitting, a gun in her lap. "Like that. Thinks she's all badass and stuff, shootin' a gun and all, but what happens? I end up gettin' shot because she didn't listen to what people tell 'er to do."

"She _shot _you? Like, with a gun?" Emily exclaimed.

"Yeah. In the head, actually."

"And you're still alive! _You_ must be Superman here, not me."

"Not in the forehead or nothin'. Bitch got terrible aim. Grazed my temple is all."

"But still. Wow. Kudos to you, my friend."

He smirked and chuckled slightly.

"Says the thirteen year old who got knocked senseless but still had the guts to shoot a walker."

"That isn't anything compared to getting shot in the head."

"He got an arrow through his side, too." Carol muttered to Emily.

"THROUGH YOUR SIDE! LIKE ALL THE WAY THROUGH!" The girl practically shouted.

"Stop shoutin'. You want all the damn walkers around to come 'ere and get us?" He snapped angrily.

"Sorry," She said softly in reply. "That's just amazing, that's all."

He chuckled again. "But yeah, all the way through."

"Wow..." Emily trailed off.

"Be lucky that all you got out there was a stab with a rock through your side. You could have got a lot worse out there. It's dangerous. Especially when you're all alone out there."

The thought of Sophia went through his mind. She was out there, all alone, and got bit. She must have been scared out of her mind. If only he had found her...

"You okay?" Emily asked him. He was looking into the fire with a look of sorrow on his face. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders like she did to her big brother when he looked like that.

"I'm fine." He shook her arm off.

"You didn't look fine."

"I said I'm fine!" Daryl snapped. He got up from his seat and stormed off, his crossbow slung around one of his shoulders in less than a second.

Emily watched him walk away. Something was bothering him and she was going to find out what.

"I told you he gets like that a lot." Carol said, sitting beside her. "Used to it yet?"

She turned her head to look at Carol. "Kind of. Is he bipolar or something?"

"No. Just an angry person, that's all. You must have hit a nerve on him." There was a moment of silence before Carol spoke again. "He lost a brother, you know. Merle."

"Yeah I know. He told me."

Carol was surprised Daryl had even said a word about it, let alone to Emily. She kept talking, the thought still on her mind. "He never forgave himself for not finding him. But my daughter, S-Sophia..." Carol choked on her name. She didn't want to say it.

Emily felt bad that she had asked about Daryl in the first place.

"You don't have to explain, Carol." She spoke, trying to talk her out of it.

But Carol went on. "Sophia's the one that kills him every day. She got lost out there in the woods. All alone. He searched for her every day, did more than her own father ever did for her, until we found her. She was- she was in the barn over there. She was bitten by one of those _things._" Carol spat the word with pure hatred. "She was a walker when she came out of those doors. Daryl probably felt like he failed me, failed the group, because he didn't find my little girl. It was horrible." Carol took a second to try and get herself together. One day she would get over the death of Sophia, she knew she would, but today was not that day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

The flames reached higher, begging to spread further. The blazing hot tower that used to be the barn stood still like a tower of dread. It used to mean shelter, that there was somewhere safe out in the hellish world, but now it meant damnation. It meant that they'd all have to start over again with nothing and find a new place to build a life. Emily watched it as it started to crumble, the walkers still staggering out of it. There was a soft rumble of an engine and Emily knew that it was time to leave. She wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist for balance as the bike drove away from her previous home.

In the short time she had stayed there, it had become like a home to her. Daryl was Aaron, her big brother who seemed to protect more than he could handle. Carol seemed to be her mother, always trying to help children. Emily thought that Carol was just making her a replacement for her daughter and Emily was okay with that. She wanted a mother figure now. Oddly enough, she still trusted Daryl. Emily wanted to believe that it was because he saved her but she knew deep down that it was because he was like Aaron.

A day or so ago, Emily wasn't keeping track of the time, the group had lost Dale. She had just started to warm up to the elderly man when suddenly he was gone, his stomach torn open by the hands of a demon. Emily enjoyed the company of the man for only a day. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like for everyone else, especially Andrea. She had learned that Andrea lost a sister and Dale was the only thing she had that was close to a family. Everyone seemed to have lost someone or something at camp except the Grimes'. Of course, Emily didn't hold that against them, but Lori seemed to take it for granted. Lori didn't watch over Carl as much as she should have, which was why she and the boy had escaped into the woods and ended up partly responsible for Dale's death, and Lori didn't seem to realize that just because her family was whole and Rick returned to her that she could lose them in a second.

Once they were far enough from the farm to even consider safe from the horde of walkers, Daryl pulled the bike over. Emily took herself out of her thoughts and released her grip on Daryl's waist. There was a moment of silence between them until Daryl spoke.

"Ya alright?" He questioned, staring ahead of him as if there was something to look at.

Emily snorted lightly and replied.

"Yeah. You?"

"I wouldn't be drivin' this damn thing if I was bit now would I?"

"Guess not."

Emily reached up to her face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"We're alone." She looked to the right and behind her as if expecting someone to drive up. She felt hollow again, like she had just lost a second family. In a way, she had. If they were gone it would just be her and Daryl. Just like before with Aaron. God seemed to like to throw bad memories at you in times where you felt horrible. That's what it seemed like to Emily. "You think everyone else is alright?"

As she spoke, Daryl had his thumb in his mouth. Dirt from under his nails got in his mouth and he spit before saying anything back.

"Can only hope they are. It ain't in anyone's hands but there's."

What seemed like a minute turned into twenty minutes of waiting for someone. The duo had long since got off the bike and were sitting on the side of the road, hoping that someone would eventually turn up from the group. Emily knew that she and Daryl would be alright on their own, no matter how awkward that would be, but she just missed the others. They had become her surrogate family, something to fill the empty spot her blood relations used to lay, and she'd be damned if she was going to lose another family.

That seemed to be all Emily could think about as she lay on the ground, looking up at the dark night sky. She turned her head towards Daryl, who was carving yet another arrow out of a stick he found.

"See that one?" She said, pointing up, not quite caring if he was actually listening or not. "I think that's the Big Dipper. Probably isn't, though."

She could hear a slight chuckle come from him as she continued to look up. Her eyelids seemed to fall beyond her control and she slept for a good half an hour before daylight. She woke up to the rumble of the motorcycle engine. As her eyes slowly opened, she could make out the daylight. She had survived yet another day of Hell On Earth.

"Whatcha doin'?" Emily questioned. "Weren't you gonna wake me up before you left?"

"I wasn't goin' nowhere," Daryl said in return, sliding three makeshift arrows into the holder on his crossbow. "Yet, anyways. I was gonna wake you up, figured you needed the sleep."

The girl smirked and rubbed her eyes. She _did _need the sleep. She hadn't slept well since Dale died, full of worry that someone else was going to die any second. When she shook the thoughts of death off, her mind just seemed to remind her that those were completely rational thoughts and add more details to the already horrid daydreams and nightmares.

"Thanks." She told him. "But where are we going?"

"I figured that if anyone was in there right minds, they would've gone off to the highway. You didn't sleep as long as you think, it's been about half-hour or so, so if we get there now the others might already be there."

"Let's get moving, then."

* * *

**Sorry I haven't been on here in a while! Lost my internet service for quite some time, it might go out again so I figured that I'd better get this typed. **

**A couple more things; **

**1) I've had terrible writer's block so that's why I had a time skip there. If I get inspiration, I might just type up and post those missing chapters. - 2) Sorry that this is a filler sorta chapter. It'll pick up next chapter.- and 3) sorry of this seems kind of rushed. It was. I wanted to get this up quickly so I could begin the next chapter for this. **

**Please review! It means a lot :D**


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